


There Must Always Be A Raven

by 7dragons7



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Canon divergence of sorts, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-04 16:34:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10994742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7dragons7/pseuds/7dragons7
Summary: The Hunger is defeated but another crisis has quickly taken it's place. The laws of death are no longer in effect and the bounty hunters that guide and rehabilitate the souls in the Astral plane are gone. Order is starting to unravel.In a near desperate move The Raven Queen goes to the one wizard she believes can track down one specific bounty hunter and find the cause of this situation. To do this Taako must travel through the Astral plane alone to find Kravitz and solve this mystery. If he refuses or cannot it would mean the end of the world Order and the beginning of Chaos.





	1. Abandoned

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to wait till the end of the Balance Arc before writing a thing. But I honestly couldn't help myself. I just had to get this out. This is obviously not how the series will go and I'm racing against the Lost Century Arc to sort of get out what I'm trying to do before everything is, of course, debunked. I have about half of this written out but I don't know how long this will be as of just yet. 
> 
> I hope this is okay. I really tried to get their voices and avoid descriptions of the characters since everyone has their own image of them. Aside from the little things. Taako has big ol' Elf ears. Kravitz has red eyes and sharp teeth. Things like that. I try and leave hair color and skin color up to you. I hope I didn't slip up any with my own visions of them! 
> 
> Also, I wrote this a touch differently than how I normally write. I tried to get the narrative as Griffin sounding as possible. "Something happens." Is a common statement before he describes the scene. Things like that. But it may have been a huge colossal failure. I guess we'll see.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! Kravitz's well being is so important to me and I had to write about this because of the scene of him trying to contact the Raven Queen hit me so deeply.

Again. And again. And then again. He has nothing else that he can do so he tries to contact her. But there is no response. She is gone, which should be impossible but she is truly not there.   
  
**Abandoned.**   
  
That’s the only word that comes to mind. A terrifying word from a life long since forsaken for this one. Kravitz’s sharp teeth grind against one another as he places his hand in the feathered circle, near desperate for a response.

  
_Don’t leave him here._  
  
Wait. He is not alone. There is someone else he can call out to. Maybe he will answer. From within his pocket Kravitz’s pulls out his stone of far speech and calls for Taako. Not that the wizard can do anything to help him, he knows this, but maybe he knows what’s going on. If there’s trouble those three death dodgers are probably in the middle of it. But there is nothing but static at his call. Again he tries.  
  
But he gets nothing in response. Taako doesn’t answer. His Raven Queen does not answer. There is nothing for him but the now despairing silence of the stockades. The reaper is sullen but not quite defeated despite all signs that he should be so. No… He has some nice things to hold on to. Things he would not have had some months ago.   
  
_Was this call business or pleasure?_ _  
__  
__A bit of both!_   
  
That night, while absurdly uncomfortable was not altogether unpleasant. In fact… He would very much like to go again. Soon but not too soon. Mingling with mortals is a foolish thing to do. He knows this. And yet… something about this elf who is dodging all the laws of death called out to him. Be it curiosity or something more genuine he will cling to those memories while he is here, trapped.   
  
Eventually things will be made clear.   
  
But Taako’s stone of far speech has been destroyed and will be unable to contact Kravitz’s again. And by the time The Hunger is defeated it very well may be too late.   
  
With all the things going on the bounty hunter of the Raven Queen is not a thought of great importance in the Elven Wizard’s mind. He recalls seeing the reaper be swallowed up by oily water and while it was something of concern at the time there have been a lot of other happenings. It’s only now that things have settled down that Taako's thoughts drift back to that moment.   
  
Kravatz is definitely fine. He knows this so he doesn’t think too much about it. He has no way of checking up on the bounty hunter. His new stone of far speech is not connected to the reapers. If Kravatz wants to see him he can show up at any time. The wizard isn’t about to lose sleep over it.   
  
So time passes as it does.

The Bureau of Balance has served it’s purpose and everyone’s memories have been restored and their great enemy is defeated. And all that is left to do is live their lives. And yet despite this peace something doesn’t quite feel right. No, Taako is quite sure there is something off with the world. There have been incredible incidents that for all intents and purposes should have killed individual people and yet they survive.

A boy was rumored to be under the water for several long minutes is alive and well. Someone working on a great monument took a terribly huge fall and  was okay. For someone who has died as much as Taako has it’s quite obvious that there is something amiss in the world. And so his thoughts drift back to that oily water that was pulling the handsome reaper down. Someone who guided souls to their rest. But surely Kravitz was not the only one. Surely… Surely not… And he was certainly fine. Certainly.

Yet Taako cannot quite convince himself and his heart gives a painful ache. Regardless of his feelings he should contact his companions. But before he can do so a falling black feather is spotted in his peripheral vision. He turns quickly, feeling his heart pounding with a feeling he can’t quite place. Perhaps anticipation. Is this a servant of the Raven Queen?   
  
No. Not a servant.

The feathers fall in greater abundance until a woman stands in his small and cramped abode. She is tall and slender, draped in flowing black robes and decorated with inky black feathers. Her gaze, a blazing red, is fixed on him and her expression is like stone. She’s cold, he can feel it radiating off of her and there is the faint stench of death that lingers on her person.   
  
For any other person they might be humbled by the presence of this woman, The Raven Queen, but Taako is not. He’s never thought too much of the Gods. Especially how they all quivered and crumbled due to The Hunger.

“I’d hoped when we finally met your entrance would be flashier.”   
  
Her lips form a thin line but she does not make any sort of comment. Her gaze travels along the room before stopping back at him.   
  
“I am to understand that those like myself owe your and your companions a great debt. Many Gods speak highly of you. They ask me to wave your crimes against my kingdom. My laws. My Order. And on top of all this I have reason to believe you have bewitched one of my bounty hunters.”   
  
“I’m pretty sure I’ve bewitched a lot of people. Have you seen me, darling?”   
  
“I have. Past your glamour spell, I truly can’t see what all the fuss is.”   
  
Okay. That stings and it stings a lot more than he’d ever care to admit. But he doesn’t bat an eyelash at her comment. There’s no need to let her taste victory but his lack of comment might speak for itself.   
  
The Raven Queen continues on, unperturbed by his silence. “You are familiar with my bounty hunter, Kravitz?”   
  
“Yeah, I know that tall glass of water.”   
  
“He’s missing. Along with many other bounty hunters. Since the calamity known as The Hunger, my reapers have been absent. Something that is starting to have a terrible effect not just on this world but all planes of existence. Death is starting to not exist.”   
  
Yes, that did seem to be the case.  “Yeah, I was starting to notice. I just thought you were all being lazy or something. I don’t know why you’re telling me. You’re a God.”   
  
“I am not. Not really. I am the Raven Queen and I preside over the souls and ensure that Order and life and death are forever maintained. I do this with the help of my bounty hunters. My powerful reapers that travel through all planes and keep things intact. I do not call myself a God nor will I pretend to be one. I am simply something that must always be. Order.”

So she's even less impressive than he first thought. “Fascinating darling. But why are you here? What can I possibly do?”

“From what I hear, a great many things.” The Raven Queen answers holding out her hand to show the wizard a stone of far speech. “This was all I could find of Kravitz. I traced back it’s calls to see who he may have been trying to contact… to see if I could find some kind of clue in regards to what might have happened. But his stone was connecting to a deactivated one. He called that stone dozens upon dozens of times saying only one name. _Taako_. So I come to you, that very wizard… wondering if you have any information about my bounty hunter.”

Now her words start to cause his insides to twist a touch unpleasantly. And there is concern for the Reaper he shared an evening with. If he had an answer he'd surely give it to her but he doesn't. He doesn't know where Kravitz is.

And there's something else that causes this to hurt. Kravitz called out to him over and over again. In trouble and alone. It's a feeling Taako wouldn't wish on anyone or well… certainly he wouldn't wish it on Kravitz. He knows it very well and it hurts. It hurts so terribly to call out and get nothing in return.

The elf shakes his head after a long moment of being unable to respond. “I don't… I don't know anything.”

The Raven Queen’s expression is blank but her scarlet eyes hold disappointment. “Order is slipping out of my hands. Someone is taking my bounty hunters. Death will become irrelevant. The Astral plane nonexistent and the world will fall apart. I was hoping you would have a lead on Kravitz but this is what it is. I still would like to request your aid.”   
  
“I get that what’s going on here is pretty bad. But… I’m not someone who would just go out and do this. You should be asking Magnus or something. Not me, not Taako. You know my motto. Takko waits out here.”   
  
“I cannot ask your companions. I cannot ask Merle whom has been deeply scarred by my bounty hunters and I cannot ask Magnus who does not wield any magic. It has to be you, Taako. And I had hoped that your connection with my reaper would sway you to help the plight of Order.”   
  
“Hold on there. There’s no connection. I tricked him into coming out on a date with me once. But… he’s… there’s nothing there. You know, it’s kind of impossible anyway. He’s Death and I’m just Taako, hoping to stay alive as long as possible. There’s nothing in this for me.”

“I see. My mistake then. I was given the wrong impression of you then.”   
  
“Yeah, absolutely.”

The Raven Queen gives a nod and holds out the stone of far speech for Taako to take. “I have no need of this then. I will simply have to make new bounty hunters and quickly.”   
  
Her words throw him off. Normally he’d never allow the stone to drop into his hands without at least checking it first. Not that he thinks she’s going to kill him, though it’s well within her right, all things considered. He absolutely expects a touch of foul play, he's ready for it... Or was. Taako doesn't expect her comment. Those icy words as she brushes off the lives of all her bounty hunters, Kravitz included, causes his chest to ache and distracts him. So when the stone hits his hand he’s given a vision.   
  
It’s what the Raven Queen must have seen upon trying to find answers in the stone yet she failed to explain it in such detail.   
  
It’s a greyish scene but he recognizes the place as the stockades. He’s spoken to Kravitz while he was in here before. Taako has come to understand that this is where he dwells. This is his home and what he rules over. It feels like a cold, dark and lonely place. On the floor there is a scattering of black feathers. No, not a scattering. Five feathers forming a circle in different places on the floor. Taako knows it’s a spell. To communicate with someone, the Raven Queen obviously. And much like when Merle was separated from Pan, Kravatz must have been suffering a similar fate with his deity.   
  
Kravitz is pressed tightly against the door to the stockades, his cowl curling in around him protectively. His scythe is beside him on the floor, not in hand. No, not in hand because both hands are curled around what can only be surmised as the stone of far speech. Taako can see it’s faint blue glow despite the grey veil covering this scene.   
  
And he can hear that familiar accented voice. “Taako… Taako, if you can hear me please answer.” It’s so faint, being whispered so softly and quickly.   
  
There are some other things to note, Taako realizes. The reaper looks gaunt. He’s not all boney and scary looking but very human and sickly looking. Like… well, like death! And his eyes do not hold that crimson light or tint. They’re empty and black. In this moment that is being witnessed, again much like Merle, Kravitz doesn’t have any powers.   
  
He’s alone in the stockades… and quite clearly, terrified. And he’s attempting in vain to reach out to the only person he believes can help him.   
  
And before Taako can really process the weight of that something else happens. A dark oily liquid seeps out from under the door and begins to pool around the reaper. Kravitz moves quickly, dropping the faint blue stone in surprise as he pushes himself to his feet and away from the door, scythe in hand once again he slashes at the liquid forcing it away and to slide back under the door. And though Taako has only seen Kravitz in less than glorious situations he knows that the reaper is deadly and fast. And what he is seeing here is nothing of the sort. The movements are clumsy and slow. Kravitz knows this too. It’s clear on his expression and the way he stumbles and eventually falls back down to the ground, a short distance from the door, his scythe clanging as it hits the floor.   
  
There is silence for a moment and then the soft rustling of movement as the reaper reaches forward to pick up the stone of far speech. And once again he does the only thing he can think to do.   
  
“Taako...”   
  
And the vision ends. And the wizard is left standing there unable to speak or move or do anything. And he’s alone. The Raven Queen it seems has left, leaving a few feathers in her wake. Just five of them, actually.   
  
Feathers and a choice.


	2. The Stockades

Naturally, the smart thing to do would be to talk to his friends about all of this. But he doesn’t. Instead Taako thinks and dwells and does a bit of sulking as he twirls the sleek black feathers between his fingers.    
  
What should he do?    
  
Order and Death and all of that will fix itself. He’s pretty sure about all of that. Does he want to go out there and risk his very life for a Reaper that tried to kill him? That may one day need to come and collect his bounty? Who has harmed him and his friends? Not really. But a part of him does want to help the reaper who sat next to him making a very pathetic looking vase. Who sipped wine so insanely delicately beside him with clay covered hands. Who actually looked forward to a possible second date.  _ Soon but not too soon _ . Who called out to him endlessly for help.    
  
And not to mention Kravitz is insanely handsome and allowing that to be lost forever to the void is a serious crime.    
  
More importantly, can he live with himself knowing the last time he saw Kravitz was as he was being pulled into slimy water that he was attempting, in a flurry of panic and fear, to claw out of? That the last vision he was given was the reaper wasting away in the stockades, trapped and constantly under siege of whatever was trying to kill him and the other bounty hunters? He’s honestly not sure if he can. And that’s strange for him.    
  
In the end, he reasons,  it wouldn’t be so bad to have The Raven Queen and death himself be indebted to him, right? That’s how Taako rationalizes this choice. There will definitely be something in it for him. Gold or jewels or just a favor later down the road.    
  
So he takes the feathers the five feathers that were specifically left for him and puts them in a circle like he’d seen in the vision of the stone of far speech. And he places his hand in the middle of it, waiting for something to happen.   
  
And she appears. In a whirlwind of feathers she stands before him looking as elegant and beautiful despite this seemingly dire situation. And this time looking quite pleased. Taako would not have called her unless he was willing to help after all.    
  
“I take it you are going to find my bounty hunter?”   
  
“Yeah sure. I know you’ll probably make it worth my while. I just, I kind of want to know the risks and how I’m even going to be able to help. You’re all living in the Astral plane. That’s not a place that I can just waltz into.”    
  
She nods in understanding. “I will remove your soul from your body and bring you to the other side.”    
  
“See, that sounds like a trap darling.” 

The Raven Queen can’t help but smile very slightly. “Well, at the very least you’ll check in for once. But I will allow you to leave once you’ve completed your mission. You have my word. But you will be vulnerable. Incredibly vulnerable. But on the positive side to all of this if your soul is harmed or worse I can call it back. You can have a great many tries at this and you don’t need to do anything other than find my bounty hunters.”    
  
“And you can’t do this yourself because…”    
  
“I am The Raven Queen. If this force is capturing my bounty hunters they will be looking for me as well. And I am not like the Gods. I am vulnerable in a very different way. But you will just be a soul. No one will find your presence of any concern. You will be able to get into the places that they’re hiding from me.”    
  
“Another question… why not get some other soul?”    
  
“Because plainly and simply… I cannot trust them. You saw how they formed up and created Legion. You saw how they slipped through the bars of the stockades and attacked Kravatz. But you… you whom other Gods would stake their endless powers on, you who swayed Kravitz from his original mission. I do believe you are someone I can trust. You will help me find my bounty hunters and restore Order.”    
  
“Yeah... yeah, alright.” It doesn’t sound like a lethal task. No more so than any of the other dumb stuff that they’ve had to do. Worst case scenario? He dies a lot but not permanently. And hell, he’s super used to that. What’s a little more, right? And if Kravatz gives him shit about his death count he can say it was for him and he can shut up and maybe do something a bit more productive with that handsome mouth of his. I mean, if you’re gunna have handsome death owe you one might as well get a smooch or something from that clammy skeleton. That makes sense to him. “I think I’m down for this. I mean, I got you behind me. So, aside from the usual trauma I’m going to be okay, right?”   
  
“Perfectly okay.” She confirms.    
  
“Alright. Let’s do this then. Taako rushes in!”    
  
And at those words a scythe appears in her hands. A decorated feathered piece where the entire blade looks like a raven’s beak. It’s beautiful but before Taako can make a comment on it she brings it up and slices through him. But he’s not cut in half, no, not at all.  The blade actually seems to have slid right through him.   
  
Oh.. but wait. Everything is getting kind of hazy…    
  
“I have severed your soul from your body. And in doing so I can bring you into the astral plane.” She holds out a clawed gloved hand to capture the light that is Taako’s soul, allowing the body to just crumple at her feet. Paying it no mind she is consumed in another swirl of feathers as they depart from this world and enter the place where she and all her bounty hunters dwell.   
  
Upon arrival she flicks her wrist allowing the bundle of light to take a form that looks much more like Taako, though very transparent and bright. And once in a form that makes more sense to the Elven wizard he notes that this is in fact a place he recognizes. The Stockades and the last known place of Kravitz.    
  
“There was another reason I needed you and no one else, Taako.” The Raven Queen softly admits. “Bounty Hunters are supposed to be unattached spectrals, guiding and reaping and keeping the Order. They don’t normally stop and chat and go on dates. Especially with those of the living.  But every now and then we get a misnomer in the equation. The living dead are not unfeeling or emotionless. We can do much of what the living can. Our hearts do not beat but they exist and they can feel. They can feel so very much.    
  
And when you allow your heart to do such a thing it creates a bond. And some bonds are created through fate and things like destiny. Bonds are like threads winding throughout the world and connecting with so many but more importantly they can be followed. 

You have created a bond with one of my bounty hunters and a special hunter at that. He rules over the stockades and is good to the souls that he presides over. He’s an important reaper and he always has been. I had such great big plans for him and so he needs to be returned. I need you, Taako, to follow the thread that binds the two of you and find him again. No matter what it takes he must be returned. Do you understand?”

Truthfully? Not really. Threads and bonds and destiny. It’s not  _ that _ deep… This is also a lot of pressure after only one date! The dead are so pushy. But despite that he gets it. The reaper of the stockades that watches over it is an important piece to this Order that The Raven Queen is so on about. Of course Kravitz needs to be found. And perhaps there is some kind of thread to follow. If nothing else, the missing bounty hunter was very insistent on finding him specifically.    
  
“I remember seeing something… An oily water that was pulling him down no matter how hard he tried to get out. I couldn’t say what was doing it. I think I assumed The Hunger but since that doesn’t exist any longer maybe it was something else.”    
  
The Raven Queen gestures towards the big solid doors of the stockade. “The water you speak of is that way. The Stockades sits on an island with nothing around it for miles. It is very possible that if he is anywhere it is below the depths.”    
  
With a flick of her wrist the doors to swing open showing the vast and empty world outside. It makes the predicament of what was attacking and after Kravatz that much more curious. What had happened out here? She was right... there's nothing out here.

The Raven Queen seemingly glides forward her scarlet gaze on the oily water before them. And without hesitance or fear she steps onto the surface of it, and to Taako’s surprise, it holds her weight. She does not sink, she just stands atop of it. And it is no magic spell, as far as he can tell, that allows this she is simply that light. Her steps make an endless wave of ripples but nothing more.    
  
“That’s bad ass darling.” Taako coos, really and truly impressed with her display. She's rather flashy and he loves it.    
  


Again The Raven Queen can’t help but smile, just slightly, at his words. She's beginning to see what all the other Gods see in these boys “Well, thank you. A perk of the job, I suppose. I believe--”    
  
But she doesn’t get any further than that before something slick pops up from the water and grabs her, immediately pulling her under. But she doesn’t go without a fight and it’s painfully similar to the scene he saw with Kravatz. Their red eyes are ablaze as they fight for life. And again he can’t do much of anything to help. In this state, he is powerless. It's a painful struggle but she is eventually pulled beneath the surface and then the water stills completely. No motion. No ripples.  

Taako isn’t a being who is afraid very often but this is frightening. If this force can do that to The Raven Queen then what chance did Kravatz have? And hell, realistically, what chance does he, Taako, have?   
  
The water is still for several long painful minutes but The Raven Queen is a the queen for a reason. Without warning a large black bird bursts from the oily water, screeching so loudly it would destroy the hearing of mortals. Her wings flare out as it breaches the surface splattering slime in all directions. But the hands continue to give chase, attempting to pull her back in. And in the sky this beautiful black bird soars and dodges each spectral force. _She’s too fast now, too aware. They won’t catch her off guard again._   
  
And then finally she turns, wings spread wide and with another loud scream erupting from her comes fire. A white blinding fire that she sends shooting out across the lake, burning whoever and whatever dares to touch her. Whatever was reaching for her does not come at her again and she’s free to land on the solitary isle, taking her human like form once more. She looks spent and tired and above all else very angry. But also… a little sad.  
  
They both know… this is what got Kravatz. He’s down there somewhere.   
  
“He is not someone I can just replace. He is a bounty hunter who rehabilitates the souls. There is a music to him. A melody that he creates just by existing here that sooths them. And he is special. Special for so many reasons. And though you may not know why just yet… you are also enchanted. As was I. As were so many. You are the only one that can bring him back.”   
  
“What if…” Taako hesitates not quite sure how to feel. He’s truly uncertain and maybe a touch nervous. This seems dangerous and bad and he hasn’t gone somewhere by himself in a long while. This adventure seems too big for just one. “What if he’s gone already? What if I can’t find him.”   
  
“If you cannot find him, Taako. Then the Astral plane may very well be lost. And that means the end of everything. Chaos will destroy the world.”   
  
“Well… I like the world. I like living in it. So I guess I better find your dumb bounty hunter. These things won’t do me like they did you, right?”   
  
“I think not. You’re a soul like all the rest in this great expanse. You should be able to move around freely. And should your soul ever come under great duress I can pull it back. You will die, but I can bring it back.”   
  
“Sounds like you’re breaking a lot of those rules Krav loves so much.”   
  
“Desperate times call for the most desperate measures. It is my choice to make. He will understand.”   
  
All Taako can do is give a nod. He’s not going to die in here. Probably not. So he readies himself mentally preparing for the task ahead. Just find him. Maybe his cloak is stuck under a rock and he’s just been sitting underwater all this time. Maybe it’s nothing. It’s probably nothing. And all that scary hand stuff pulling The Raven Queen down? Maybe these reapers and queens should be more benevolent reapers and keepers, hmmm? How about that?  
  
Goofs aside... he knows it's not that simple.   
  
And so Taako’s spirit body steps into the dark liquid. Each step brings him further and further into the slime. There isn’t a need to breath or feel afraid in this nasty concoction that is covering his soul body. There’s no need to be afraid at all. The Raven Queen and ruler of this plane is looking out for him. Even in this spectral body he can feel her hands on his shoulder and her gaze peering through his own. _Find Kravitz._ That’s all he has to do. 


	3. The Astral Plane

The depths of this oily water are empty and barren. There is nothing here. No souls. No life. Just Taako. And this water is deep and seemingly endless. He just keeps going down and down and down…  
  
For a long while he’s swimming through this seemingly endless abyss. How is he supposed to find anything down here? He can’t. It’s impossible. It has to be. He has no direction and no guide. There’s no possible way he’s going to find Kravatz in here.  Why wasn't he given some direction? Didn't The Raven Queen have some kind of tracker on these stupid bounty hunters? No hint? No lost Kravitz puzzle he can solve? Like what the hell?

His ranting thoughts are intruded for a moment with a single word. _Threads._  Oh. The Raven Queen had said something about that, yeah? She said you can find someone by just your bonds with them. He may not quite have that with Kravitz but maybe that’s okay. Maybe he can just follow what the bounty hunter has attached to him.  
  
But how does one find that sort of bind and how do you follow it? Does it require a spell of some kind? Detect magic? Detect kidnaped grim reaper?  
  
Taako stops his swimming to just take everything in and think. He knows quite a bit about Kravitz. He knows that he’s a handsome man. Like super handsome. He turns into something rather spooky but also something he can still totally dig. He’s a touch on the cold and clammy side, not great but he can live with it. He’s polite. And Gods, just really handsome. He dresses so nicely in oh so many layers. And he’s seen him without a body. A surprisingly bright and warm light. For someone like death you’d never expect it. He knows that light quite well despite having only seen it in fleeting moments.  
  
He has to find that light.  
  
And it is at that thought that Taako feels a pull. It tugs at his soul, his whole body, and draws him deeper into the sea. Deeper and deeper… and even deeper still until something curious happens. The ocean just… stops. It’s like breaking into the surface only the wrong way. Taako falls right out of the sea and onto the floor. And when he looks up that oily surface is there. If he wanted to… he could possibly jump and swim back up to the surface where The Raven Queen is waiting for him.  
  
It doesn’t make any sense from a gravity and science perspective but then this is the Astral plane. No rules just right, you know?  
  
This place has a sandy bottom. It’s dark and dim and there are no lights in here. But there is noise. Lots of it. A wailing sort of scream in the far distance. So he follows it. It’s where his very soul is being tugged to anyway. It’s quite a journey, miles and miles, he thinks. Eventually the ocean seems to get further away until all it's just a shimmering dark sky, he wouldn't know it was the oily lake if he hadn't fallen right out of it. But as far as this new surface goes there are large boulders and rocks that block the path for miles. He’s just a soul so it isn’t the worst thing to climb over. His body is light and moves around easily enough. After the third or fourth barrier like wall that he has to climb he sees a sight that would turn his blood cold if he had any in this form.  
  
Bones. Hundreds upon hundreds of bones litter the sand. And he knows without having to see them up close that they are human like. He falls slowly to the ground from one of the rocky walls and inspects a few of the closest ones. He’s no doctor or cleric but these are human femurs and finger bones. They have to be. Even more interesting is that these bones are clearly old and yet they’re been tossed here fairly recently.

The answer is obvious though he does not want to admit it much less think it.

Taako believes he’s found all the missing bounty hunters of The Raven Queen.  
  
_Kravitz_.

A panic unlike anything he’s ever felt consumes him, where he believes for a long and painful few moments that Kravitz is among these bones. It hurts. It’s a pain in his chest that only rivals the loss of Lup. And he can’t quite understand it. Because _really,_  he doesn’t know the reaper that well. He shouldn’t feel this scared this hurt this **sad** .  
  
With a shaky hand he digs through some of the bones as if he’d find something that would give him proof or--  
  
Wait a second here. Through his unexplained grief he notes that there is an important piece to all of these bones missing. No skulls.  
  
All the heads are missing. Why…?  
  
There’s a tug at Taako’s chest again. The invisible thread continuing to pull forward and it’s a soothing feeling offering comfort and hope. Kravitz is not here so he has to keep going. So Taako continues forward gliding through the sea of bones. So many… so many lost bounty hunters from all paths and time. And eventually he does find all the skulls and so much more. Souls. Hundreds no thousands of glowing lights wailing and screaming. Demanding all sorts of things that are not clear in their chorus of complaints.  
  
And through the small sea of lights there is the one he's been sent to find. Chained up in a crucified is Kravitz Alive… and Gods is Taako so grateful for that. Though the situation is far from good as he has no idea how to free of them much less get to him. But... he is a soul too so it shouldn’t be hard, right?   
  
Except it really is.

Someone comes out from behind the pile of stacked reaper skulls and she doesn’t appear to be a soul and therefore should not exist here in the Astral plane. It’s a woman. She looks almost ethereal and is dressed in what appears to be the cloaks of the fallen reapers.  
  
“I am so glad to have you all here once again. For all the years each of you have suffered this remaining Reaper has much to atone for. Your suffering and punishments in the stockades must be returned tenfold. And there are many hundreds of years left for this one. He has yet to be _rehabilitated_ .”  And there is so much screaming at her words that it shakes Taako to his core.  
  
Kravitz… Kravitz is being punished. For… for taking care of the souls in the stockade? For rehabilitating them and making sure they’re right for returning to the ether?  Is that right? Is he understanding that correctly? Why? From what he knows of the reaper he’s not an unpleasant or ununderstanding being. Did he use underhanded tactics in the Crystal Kingdom? Well, yes, but then he had three souls that had avoided death for a collective hundred times or so. But when Kravitz came to him after the chalice events he was brimming with interest and wanted nothing more than to understand. He was kind. Something that Taako couldn’t begin to explain how thankful he was for that. It’d have been easy for the bounty hunter to come and just reap him right then and there after they broke their promise about dying again.  
  
But that’s not what he did. He made deals and agreed to let Noel stay longer. And even Morrine had she accepted. This was not someone who was cruel to souls. Not for a moment he’d believe it. Not this Taako.  
  
And before he can think about a reasonable action he’s hurrying forward, pushing past souls so he can latch onto the crucified bounty hunter. It seems like such a good idea for a fraction of a second. But he’s a soul and has no time to explain why that is. And it’s clearly a frightening thing for the reaper to see whose eyes are wide in surprise before becoming painfully sorrowful.  
  
“Taako…”  
  
“Hey boobalah… I finally checked in just like you wanted.” He offers a smile, his near transparent fingers tightening in Kravatz’s tattered vest. “I got a new number so I’ve been missing your calls. I can give it to you now but--”  
  
“Who is this?” The woman is suddenly beside them, looking over Taako curiously. She has a face that seems innocent and kind. Her eyes are big and doe like and her smile is easily something you can get lost in. Perhaps it’s a spell… But it still raises the question of how a mortal like being is in this realm.

“I’m Taako. You know... from tv? I’m just visiting. And kind of here to rescue my princess and all that.”  
  
“Oh I see. I see.” She smiles brightly and reaches out to touch Taako. “I understand. I thought this might happen eventually. How cowardly of her…” She doesn’t touch him but she does snap her fingers right in front of his nose and quite suddenly everything inside of his spectral form is on fire. And he’s screaming before he can stop himself.  
  
At this, Kravitz’s eyes glow a blood red and his teeth are bared and all fangs as he hisses in the purest anger that has ever touched this plane of existence. It actually causes the souls to quiver and shake, forever fearful of this bounty hunter’s wrath.  
  
Unfortunately, the woman is unphased.  
  
“You be quiet and watch him die.” She snaps, gripping the reaper’s chin, her nails digging into his clammy skin and forces his gaze onto the soul that is burning into nothing. And for a long and painful moment the wizard and the reaper’s gazes meet. Both in two very different but very real kinds of pain. If Taako could utter a word he would. He’d tell the bounty hunter not to worry and that this isn’t permanent. That the Raven Queen is hunting for him. That he’ll be back. He promises. He promises that he’ll be back.  
  
But he can’t. He can’t say or do anything. His soul can only burn up. And all he can actually do is hope that The Raven Queen meant what she said about being able to save his soul should it be destroyed.  
  
The last thing Taako sees is a wave of souls rushing at Kravitz.   


* * *

 

And then we return to the surface of the Astral plane. We see The Raven Queen slamming the door to the stockades closed behind her. We see her scarlet eyes wide, brimming with something that even she isn't sure of at first. Tears... They're tears and they eventually fall in heavy streams of dark inky liquid.   
  
She is The Raven Queen. The keeper of souls and the ruler of Order. She is not a God but akin to one. And in this moment she is powerless. It is a painful shame to admit how much The Hunger hurt her. How it weakened her and this hold on her precious domain. And now... all her bounty hunters... All of them except one are gone. Her dear children... laid to waste at the depths of this world. She puts two clawed hands over her face and slowly slides down the door as a pain she is very unfamiliar crushes her.   
  
She doesn't know what to do.   
  
But there is a faint light to all of this. Flickering and weak it's the light of the last remaining reaper. The most important one at that... But as the fire she took for the sake of that wizard's soul slowly eats away at her dead heart she knows that they may not meet again. And what... what a terrible pity that would be. There are so many things left unsaid. So many things that must be explained...   
  
But Kravitz is smart and understands more than she does. He's proven it again and again. For order to work it must grow and change. Exceptions to the rules the Gods say. Kravitz says. If there are exceptions there is Chaos but it is up to Order to maintain and keep things strong. That's what Order means. To reign and rule. To rise above the ever shifting world. Not to grow old and stagnant. She has forgotten things in her long years. But he has not. He's grown and become strong.   
  
The Raven Queen stands back up, staggering only a little bit. There isn't much time... she must try and rest and recover but she's not sure how possible that will be. Either way, she has to do something. After all...  _Chaos is coming_. 


End file.
